Sunday, September 25, 2016

A warm September day.


There is a small courtyard on the side of the house that faces the lane. The gardeners will come early next week to shovel away the gravel and replace it with soft turf. This enclosed, quiet, space will become the divas 'recuperation' zone. A spot where she can see the comings and goings from her cage. Interestingly she's been able to haul herself to her feet, unsteady but unaided, twice today.


Sophie, furious at her enforced idleness, eats through the bottom of her bed. She chews the foam rubber then spits it out with a loud 'thwah' sound. I've said it before, I'll say it again. She is not a placid patient.


Bob and Angus go in search of a replacement bed. The man who designs the seats on the Volkswagen Sportsvan 'Loonj' must double up designing dog bed covers. They are all hideous.

When did dog beds become so expensive ?


There is something deeply disturbing about the arrangement in the lobby of the garden centre. Bob and his master stop to look at it but move quickly on.


At the greengrocers an American import. We have absolutely no idea what it is.


They've laid a lot of it in.


Pumpkins are more popular with the locals. 

Just one of those warm September days in deepest, deepest France profonde when nothing happens.

Here's an interesting and unusual article on how intelligent fish are : 


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18 comments:

Lisa in Tokyo said...

Thanks very much for the link to the fish article, which was fascinating. We keep a couple of fish and I have suspected for a while that they are a lot cleverer than believed. Ours don't use tools but they've learned how to beg most irresistibly when they are hungry.

When Cherry was just a puppy, I reached over a safety gate to pat her and the gate collapsed on top of her. Her pelvis was cracked on both sides and we had to keep her immobile for several months while the bones knit back together - it wasn't an operable injury. It was really tough at the time - we were always struggling to find the balance between perfect immobility and bearable but still effective immobility - but it turned out fine and I'm sure Sophie will be good as new again in a couple of months. We are apartment dwellers, so Cherry spent her time mostly in the kitchen, but your plan to provide Sophie with some soft turf is lovely.

Anonymous said...

A nice thick, PON size cutting of memory foam may help support poor Sophie.

Coppa's girl said...

Poor Sophie, what's a girl to do?
Must confess to resorting to plastic beds for each of our dogs. They are easier to keep clean, and to a certain extent, resistant to boredom chewing. The dog bed covers in your photo are pretty hideous, but at least you have a better selection than we do - a case of take it or leave it ! The latest plastic bed cost 17 euros from a local Chinese shop - the previous one cost at least six times that from Amazon UK, and when it arrived was the wrong size, in spite of the dimensions embossed on the bottom !

Sheila said...

That is an interesting article about the fish; however, I'm never quite sure that these experiments justify the amount of time and grant money spent. All the information on Google about citron caviar is in French so it must be popular in France...never seen it in the States.
BIG week coming up with the Clinton Trump debate tomorrow and Sophie's surgery on Tuesday. How nice that Sophie will have her own private courtyard for her recovery.

Swan said...

Poor Sophie.

Jacks said...

Citrus caviar:
http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-citrus-caviar-france-discovers-australias-exotic-condiment-2015-1

Unknown said...

Millie heartily endorses bed–chewing. We often recall driving down a road and passing a house where two dogs were obviously home alone. They had apparently decided this was the day to un-stuff all the lawn chair cushions. There was stuffing all over the yard. At the moment we drove by, the dogs were engaged in a tug-of-war over one large cushion; this was followed by top speed chasing of the winner, stuffing flying. They were obviously having the very best time. I never saw happier dogs.

WFT Nobby said...

I am thinking a bulk order of suitable dog beds might be prudent...

rottrover said...

That's really interesting...America/Austrailia, oh well...

Angus said...

For the average France profonde consumer they both begin with A and are far away.

Angus said...

Particularly as she's on a severe pre-op diet.

Angus said...

I think we've decided on bearable but still effective immobility. We tried her in a cage but the whole village knew about it. A pen that she can sit up in and see out of seems a workable solution.

Angus said...

I fear it would be treated as a pre-dinner snack.

Angus said...

Tomorrow nights debate will be avidly watched around the world.

Angus said...

Found one for 22 Euros which didn't strike mas too bad.

Bella Roxy & Macdui said...

Actually, that looks like the native lemon here in Australia. It is just 'taking off' and being exported....

I'm about to start chewing the bed as well....sympathy to Sophie.

MrsDuncanMahogany said...

Poor Sophie - so incredibly bored she must do what a girl must do. Destroy said dog bed! That citron caviar looks likes its doing a "thwah".

Anonymous said...

There is that. I'm on cutting number 7.